Issue 1 2010 > China Wasn't Built in a Day
China Wasn't Built in a Day
One of Crown’s Gems that are acknowledged in this special anniversary issue of The Global Connection is Billy Wong, who joined Crown at the age of 23. Billy may not have built Crown China "in a day," but he has devoted 31 years building Crown into one of the largest relocation, logistics and storage companies in Greater China.
• It was on April 26, 1979 when Billy started in a division that "grouped" tourist purchases into single shipments
• In 1981, he moved to a role in its moving operation then called Crown Pacific
• In the mid 1990’s, Billy assumed the role of General Manager of Crown’s Hong Kong operations
• In 2001, he took on the role of Managing Director Greater China which encompassed the management of all businesses across Hong Kong, China and Taiwan
Property Investments
In his early years, Billy played a major role in the construction of Crown’s first building in Hong Kong, which today, remains one of Crown’s most valuable properties. He eventually purchased three other large warehouses in Hong Kong.
In 2005, he helped obtain a license through CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Agreement between mainland China and Hong Kong), which enables Crown to freely choose best-in-class local partners, employ its own staff, operate its own facilities and establish direct contractual relations with customers. This license was instrumental in Billy’s ability to oversee the construction of three new buildings in China.
Today, Crown has seven major buildings in the region: four in Hong Kong, two in Shanghai and one in Beijing, and a dozen offices of various sizes throughout China.
Diversification
Early on, Billy introduced a Records Management division in Hong Kong and along with Sammy Fong, general manager of the Records Management division, continued to grow the business throughout the region. Today, over 8 million square feet of records are managed by Crown’s team in Greater China.
Billy and his team have also successfully diversified into logistics. In Northern China, under Jimmy Thompson’s leadership, who serves as general manager for Northern China & Mongolia, the team provides oil and gas logistics services for multinational corporations. And general manager of Logistics, Analdo Li, and his team provide third party logistics, serving major hotels, retailers and fashion houses in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Billy, along with director of Fine Arts Tommy Chan, have also developed a Fine Arts division, providing transportation of paintings and sculptures and event coordination for major exhibitions including the HK Art Fair–two years in a row.
Billy Wong
Billy has shown himself to be the "complete manager" in every respect and has earned just about all the awards Crown gives to its employees. Throughout the years, Crown Greater China has supported the local community by donating moving services, participating in Hike for Hospice, sponsoring the Heifer International program and much more. When Hong Kong won Crown’s "2007 Community Service" award, Chairman Jim Thompson noted, "The members of our Hong Kong team are true and caring citizens of their community. They have helped build Crown’s reputation as a very caring company that is committed to helping make Hong Kong a better place for everyone–especially the less fortunate."
Billy commented, "The moving industry has witnessed many changes over the past 31 years but one of the ideals that has never changed in our company is the high level of care and attention given by our employees to our clients and their possessions. One of Crown’s Core Values is "Delighting the Customer is Our Mission" and this philosophy has evolved into a company standard. This customer service ethic has helped us thrive despite many changes over the years."
Jim Thompson added, "Billy is one of the most ‘likeable’ and respected leaders in the Group. His 31 years with Crown have been very valuable ones for our company. Today, Billy continues in his role as Managing Director of Greater China, overseeing hundreds of people in the region and we anticipate this growth to carry on well into the future."